Device for chromatographic elution



Sept. 12, 1967 Filed Sept. 23, 1964 J. HOFMAN DEVICE FOR CHROMATOGRAPHICELUTION 2 sheets sheet 1 INVENTOR. V/ //I f/O/man Sept. 12, 1967 J.HOFMAN 3,341,300

DEVICE FOR CHROMATOGRAPHIC ELUTION Fi led Sept. 23, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet1;

INVENTOR- 77/ 1 #07: a 71/ United States Patent C) 3,341,300 DEVICE FORCHROMATOGRAPHIC ELUTION Jiii Hofman, Prague, Czechoslovakia, assignor toLaboratorni Pir'stroje, urodni podnik, Prague, Czechoslovakia FiledSept. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 398,634 Claims priority, applicationCzechoslovakia, Sept. 25, 1963, 5,262/ 63 8 Claims. (Cl. 23-253)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Elution apparatus for chromatograms in whichthe tops of four upright supporting channels are connected by a trough.Three test tube carriers are held horizontally between adjacent channelsby terminal resilient clips conformingly engaging serrations on theflanges of the channels. The top plates of the carriers are perforatedto receive test tubes and equipped with hingedly attached trays whichcover the perforations when small eluate cups are to be carried.

Background of the invention This invention relates to paperchromatography, and particularly to chromatographic equipment forelution of paper strips in preparative chromatography.

It is known to hold paper strips spotted with a material to be eluted ina generally upright position between glass plates. The top end of thestrips are immersed in a liquid eluent, and the liquid descending in thestrip is ultimately discharged at the bottom end into a cup or testtube.

One of the objects of the instant invention is the provision of improvedchromatographic equipment capable of being made of materials which donot contaminate the collected eluate.

Another object is the provision of a chromatographic equipment which maybe operated conveniently and which simultaneously accepts paper stripsof unequal length.

Summary of the invention The invention provides an apparatus of the typedescribed with several, horizontally spaced, upwardly elongated supportmembers, a carrier member being interposed between two of the supportmembers. Two resilient clip-s on the carrier member respectivelynormally engage the two support members under the resilient forcethereof. A first receptacle adapted to hold a liquid extends between thesupport members above the carrier member, and the latter is equipped forholding another receptacle adapted to hold a liquid.

Each clip and the associated support member have respective normallyengaged faces, and one of these members has another face obliquelyinclined relative to the normally engaged face thereof and contiguouslyadjacent the engaged face. The clip can be moved against its resilientforce in such a manner that the engaged face of the other member may bemoved along the inclined face whereby the normally engaged faces aremoved apart.

The exact nature of this invention will be apparent from the followingdetailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered inconnection with the appended drawing.

Brief description of the drawing In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows chromatographic apparatus of the invention in frontelevational section;

FIG. 2 shows a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in a perspective viewon a larger scale; and

FIG. 3 shows a portion of the device of FIG. 1 in enlarged top planview,

Referring initially to FIG. 1, there is seen an enclosing shell 10 inwhich four elongated support members 1 are mounted upright in a commonplane. Their tops are connected by a horizontal trough 5. Three testtube carriers 2 which have lateral apertures 7 are held horizontallybetween adjacent upright members 1 by resilient clips 8 on the carriers.A flat tray 3 is attached to the top of each carrier 2 by a hinge 12.

Paper strips confined between two glass plates 6, 6, 6" depend from thetrough 5 and are of three dilferent lengths. Two of the carriers 2 arearranged closely subjacent the tapering bottom ends of the glass plates6, 6' which are of smallest and medium length respectively, and carrysmall eluate cups 4 on their trays 3. The third tray 3 is swung awayfrom the top of the associated carrier into which test tubes 11 areinserted to receive eluate from the longest paper strips and glassplates 6". The test tubes are viewed through the aperture 7.

As is better seen in FIG. 2, each upright support member 1 is a channelof approximately U-shaped cross section whose flanges have serratedinner faces 13 connected to the web or bight portion of the channel. bycontiguously adjacent internal faces 14 obliquely inclined relative tothe serrated faces 13.

Each test tube carrier 2 has a continuous bottom plate 15 below theopening 7 and a top plate 16 formed with openings 17 for receiving thetest tubes 11 when the tray 3 is swung away from the illustratedposition as indicated by a curved arrow.

Serrations on the resilient clip 8 normally engage the serrations of anassociated flange face 13 of a support member 1 as is also seen on theleft in FIG. 3. When pressure is exerted on the clip 8 in the directionof the arrow 9, the free edge of the clip 8 slides along an inclinedface 14 of the support member 1, whereby the normally engaged, erratedfaces of the support member 1 and the test tube carrier 2 are movedapart whereupon the test tube carrier may be moved up or down, anabutment 18 on the carrier 2 preventing release of the carrier from thesupport member 1 in a horizontal direction.

The test tube carrier 2 may be removed upwardly from the associatedsupport members 1. When the clips 8 are released, they resilientlyreturn to the position shown on the left of FIG. 3, engaging a serratedsupport face 13.

The entire apparatus is preferably made of polypropylene andpolyethylene except as otherwise stated above. The upright members 1,the cups 3, the trough 5, and the shell 10 of the chamber are made ofpolypropylene, while polyethylene is used for the test tube carriers 2and the clips 8.

The apparatus may thus be made entirely of materials which do not reactwith the commonly employed eluents. The internal space of the chambermay be held to a minimum so that it may quickly be saturated withsolvent vapors in a conventional manner, not shown. The verticalpositions of the receptacle for the discharged eluent may becontinuously adjusted in a simple manner. Strips of three diiferentlengths may be eluted simultaneously. Test tubes and small cups may beused interchangeably for receiving the eluate which is drawn by thepaper strips from the trough 5. The entire apparatus is readily portableand may be hung from a wall. It transmits enough light to permit theelution process to be observed from the outside.

What I claim is:

1. In a chromatographic apparatus, in combination:

gated support members;

(b) a carrier member interposed between two of said support members;

(c) two resilient clip members on said carrier member respectivelynormally engaging said two support members under the resilient forcethereof;

((1) .afirst receptacle adapted to hold a liquid and extending betweensaid support members above said carrier member; and

(e) holding means on said carrier member for holding a second receptacleadapted to hold a liquid.

2. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, a shell enclosing saidsupports, said support members, said carrier member, and said firstreceptacle.

3. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, another carrier memberinterposed between one of said two support members and a third one ofsaid support members, another carrier member interposed between said onesupport member and said third support member, two resilient clip memberson said carrier member respectively normal- 1y engaging said one supportmember and said third support member under the resilient force thereof,said first receptacle extending between said one support member and saidthird support member above said other carrier member, and holding meanson said other carrier member for holding a third receptacle adapted tohold a liquid.

4. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, each clip member and theassociated engaged support member constituting a pair of members havingrespective normally engaged faces, one member of the pair having anotherface obliquely inclined relative to the normally engaged face thereofand contiguously adjacent thereto, and the clip member being movableagainst the resilient force thereof for movement of the other member ofsaid pair along said inclined face of said one member, whereby saidnormally engaged faces are moved apart.

5. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 4, said normally engaged facesbeing formed with projections and recesses, the projections of each facenormally engaging the recesses of the other face.

6. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, a portion of said carriermember being formed with an upwardly directed opening adapted to receivesaid second receptacle, and constituting an element of said holdingmeans.

7. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 6, said holding means furtherincluding a tray member hingedly mounted on said carrier member forpivotal movement toward and away from a horizontally extending positionin which said tray member covers said portion of said carrier member.

8. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 6, said carrier member beingformed with a lateral aperture for viewing said second receptacle whenreceived in said opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1962 Kopp 248-205 X OTHERREFERENCES JOSEPH SCOVRONEK, Acting Primary Examiner.

MORRIS O. WOLK, Examiner.

L. MEI, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A CHROMATOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, IN COMBINATION: (A) A PLURALITY OFHORIZONTALLY SPACED, UPWARDLY ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS; (B) A CARRIERMEMBER INTERPOSED BETWEEN TWO OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS; (C) TWO RESILIENTCLIP MEMBERS ON SAID CARRIER MEMBER RESPECTIVELY NORMALLY ENGAGING SAIDTWO SUPPORT MEMBERS UNDER THE RESILIENT FORCE THEREOF;